Frequently asked questions

1. Why is Adobe Embedded Print Engine focusing so much on PDF printing?

Today, PDF is widely used to share documents via email and websites and to print them from mobile devices. The use of smartphones and tablets for storing and printing documents has grown significantly in the last few years. More and more PDFs are being sent to printers from mobile devices, especially with the rise of services like AirPrint on iOS, Mopria on Android, Google Cloud Print on all platforms and many of the OEM-specific Android print services. Mobile printing is now a de facto standard workflow for printing to low-end devices.

In all the above scenarios, if the printer supports PDF as a PDL, then sending the content in PDF format is much better than any raster format. There are a variety of reasons for this. Firstly, a smaller footprint makes PDF suitable for limitedbandwidth scenarios like mobile printing. Secondly, PDFs are printed at device resolution and keep the user’s content live until the last step, which results in far superior print quality compared to raster formats generated on mobile devices. Overall, superior experience, higher print quality and enhanced reliability makes PDF the PDL of choice for next-generation mobile and cloud-based printing.

2. Under what licensing terms is Adobe Embedded Print Engine offered?

Adobe Embedded Print Engine is our leading native PDF and PostScript RIP for the office printing segment and caters to the need of a whole range of devices from small office printers with low memory and single core processors to enterprise class MFPs with couple of GBs of RAM and multiple processors. We understand that you may be building a variety of devices for specific market segments or geographies, with different business models to succeed under different conditions. Keeping this in mind, we are very open to offering terms that are in line with your requirements, with a long-term vision to support and grow together as you launch products based on Adobe Embedded Print Engine in the market.

3. Given that Adobe Embedded Print Engine is a new technology, what are the challenges we should be prepared for if we decide to adopt it?

Adobe Embedded Print Engine is based on robust and proven core technologies from Adobe that are already powering Adobe Creative Cloud applications and Adobe Acrobat Reader DC. Adobe Embedded Print Engine brings these technologies to the embedded platform to power the full range of your office printing devices. Leading printer manufacturers have already built a range of successful devices based on Adobe Embedded Print Engine and are in the process of launching them. Adobe provides in-depth technical workshops, extensive documentation and world-class ongoing support once you decide to adopt Adobe Embedded Print Engine for your devices.

4. Can Adobe Embedded Print Engine help us in getting AirPrint certification?

Apple gives AirPrint certification to those printers and MFPs that meet the criteria they have established for printing from Apple devices. The criteria involves testing various aspects of the device that are relevant to the AirPrint workflow. One of those criteria is the quality and performance of the PDFs that are RIPPED and printed on these devices. Adobe has worked with Apple to get AirPrint certification for Adobe Embedded Print Engine. This means any printing device which embeds Adobe Embedded Print Engine need not worry about the quality and performance of printing the PDFs that are part of the AirPrint certification test suite when the device is being tested for AirPrint certification.

5. How much effort will it take to migrate from our existing RIP to Adobe Embedded Print Engine?

Whether you are using an Adobe RIP technology or a clone technology, moving to Adobe Embedded Print Engine is an obvious choice. Click here to see the numerous advantages of adopting Adobe Embedded Print Engine.

If you are moving to Adobe Embedded Print Engine from an existing Adobe RIP, we have made the process as seamless as possible. The changes to the interface are minimal and Adobe will provide you with all the documentation and support needed in migrating to Adobe Embedded Print Engine. The actual time it will take will be determined by the customisations you have done in your existing implementation. Our team will help you to move those customisations to Adobe Embedded Print Engine to take advantage of the new architecture and core technologies.

If you are moving from a non-Adobe technology to Adobe Embedded Print Engine, Adobe provides in-depth technical workshops, extensive documentation and world-class ongoing support to make sure that your transition is smooth and quick.

6. Do you offer support for additional requirements beyond developing our printer based on Adobe Embedded Print Engine?

Adobe has a team of world-class engineers that have helped the world’s leading printer manufacturers build best-in-class devices for a variety of segments. The Adobe Advantage can add further value on top of implementing Adobe Embedded Print Engine for your printer platform, offering end-to-end solutions that meet your or your customers’ needs.